Railway joint lock



Feb. 18, 1930.

J. HYLE ET AL RAILWAY JOINT LOCK Filed March 20, 1929 m 5 gm Patented Feb. 18, 1930' LYUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JACOB a. KYLE AND EMIL R. SWANSON, or LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA RAiLwAY JOINT LocK Application filed. March 20, 1929. Serial No. 348,608. i

This invention pertains to a novel and improvedrailway joint nut lock and is especially designed to provide a spring nut lock plate which bridges at least two bolts.

.1 The main object of this invention is to provide simple, durable, economical, practical and thoroughly efficient means wherebythe securing nuts usedin connection with i a railway rail joint are always locked and '10 maintained in locked position.

The foregoing and such other objects as may appear from the ensuing description are accomplished by the construction, arrangement, location and combination of the several parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto, it being understood that slight changes in the precise form,

1'20 proportions and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention. a

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification it will be seen that:

Figure 1 is a top plan view showing the means embodying our invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the outer face of the spring lock plate detached from the rail joint.

' Figure 3 is an enlarged plan view thereof showing one end portion of the spring in section, and

construction, each of said bars being formed with four suitable central openings for the reception of the securing bolts 3, each bolt 2. being passed through suitable openings {formed through the track rails and said central openings of the bars, and securely fitted to the threaded end portion of each bolt, is a nut 4.

12 9 The numeral 5 designates our novel spring Figure 4 is an enlarged plan view showing plate locking means which is made of high grade spring steel, preferably chrome vanadium steel, and of any suitable dimensions, such as will furnish the greatest efficiency, strength and durability, said spring plate being provided with a bolt hole or opening 6 formed therethrough near each end portion, said holes being so formed that when the bolts are fitted within the holes each bolt will rest inflush contact with the plate, and near each end in its outer surface is formed a'depression 7 which causes a portion of the metal to flow inwardly, thus forming an in wardlyextended integral portion 8, adapted to contact with the rail splice bar 2 and serving to materially increase the resiliency and the upwardly and outwardly locking tension of the spring plate when said plate is depressed into its proper locking position, as

shown at the right hand end portion of Fig.

1, and centrally of said plate it is formed with an outwardly extended bowed portion, forming a spring or tension member- 9. for thepurpose hereinafter described. I

Reference now being made to Fig. 1 of the drawings it will be perceived that at the left hand side thereof the locking spring plate is shown adjusted around the locking'bolts and beneath the securing nuts showing the position assumed by said plate before the nuts are tightly adjusted, with a slight inclination upwardly from each end portion thereof to central spring ortension memher 9, said member 9 being in its extended positiondat its inner end portion, while at the right hand side of Fig. 1 the spring plate isshown in the position it is caused to assume when the securing nuts shall have been adjusted into their tightly locked position,,said adjustment thereby causing the inclined portions of the plate to be depressed.

It will be readily seen thatwhen thesecured nuts are adjusted under high pressure, the bolts-that are loose in the holes of the rail joint and have a' tendency to lean will straighten out, and the greater the pressure of the nuts against the spring plate the more intense the resistance and tension of the bowed portion of said plate whereby both the nuts iUU and bolts are automatically and firmly retained in a tight condition.

The spring locking plate may be formed from a single piece of spring steel of the desired dimensions, then heated and by a single operation under a suitable forge or press it is quickly and economically completed.

lVhile all of the heads of the securing bolts are shown to be at one side of the rail joint, should it be preferred to stagger the bolts, that is, to reverse the bolts, so that the head of one bolt of each pair of bolts is disposed on one side of the track rail, while the head of the other bolt of each pair of bolts is disposed on the opposite side of said rail, it is quite evident that such a reversal of the bolts may be readily adopted with substantially the,

same result as has been heretofore described.

centrally disposed outwardly extended bowshaped member, said plate being inclined from its ends toward the middle portion, a depression formed therein near each outer end, and an integral inwardly disposed extension formed near each of its ends.

6.'A rail joint lock comprising-aspring depression formed therein near each of its ends, an integral inwardly disposed (EXtGIISlOIl formed near each of 1ts ends, and means dis-z By reference to the slightly'modified form posed near each end of said plate for securing of spring locking plate shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings it will be seen that said plate 5 is formed with a central outward extension or tension member 9 which converges at its inner ends thus forming a contracted neck portion adapted to materially increase the tension exerted by the central portion of the plate, said plate being provided with a bolt hole or opening near each end portion, and an inwardly extended integral portion 8.

It will be obvious by the employment of the type of locking plate hereinbefore described, that when the securing nuts shall have been completely adjusted under high pressure all of the several parts ofthe rail joint will be securely locked together and will be always maintained in locked condition. 1 I

Having thus described our invention what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patentisz 1; A rail joint spring plate formed with an outwardly extended central portion, a depression at each end portion, and an'i'ntegral thereof.

inwardly extended portion near each end the plate with an extreme tensioning eifectat its central portion.

JACOB A. HYLE,

- EMIL n. swANsoN. l 1

centrally disposed outwardly extended member, a depression formed in said plate near each end thereof, and an integral inwardly extended ends.

3. A rail joint spring plate formed of high grade spring steel with outwardly extended bow-shaped member, a depressed formation near each end thereof, and an integral inwardly extended portion formed adjacenteach of its ends.

portion formed near each of its A 4'. A rail joint spring plate formed of p v spring steel having a centrally outwardly ex- 60 tended portion, and slightly inclined from its f ends toward the middle portion, a depression formed therein near each outer end, and an integral inwardly disposed extension formed near each of its ends.

65 '5. A rail joint spring plate formed with a 

